Chinese word

一阵

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī zhèn

Meaning

  • nounwhile

Example

我们聊了一阵。wǒ men liáo le yí zhèn

We chatted for a while.

Illustration for 一阵 (while)

More examples

会场里突然传来一阵笑声。huì chǎng lǐ tū rán chuán lái yí zhèn xiào shēng

A burst of laughter suddenly came from the venue.

Core concept

A single, bounded burst of time, action, or weather that arrives and passes quickly.

Common phrases

  • 一阵风yí zhèn fēng

    gust of wind

  • 一阵雨yí zhèn yǔ

    rain shower

  • 一阵笑声yí zhèn xiào shēng

    burst of laughter

Similar words

一会儿yí huìr: A little while with no exact length.
一会yí huì: A short period that soon comes to an end.
一刻yí kè: A moment of extremely short duration.
片刻piàn kè: A fleeting moment or very brief period.

Definition in Chinese

指持续时间较短的一段时期，常用来描述突然发生并很快结束的动作或状态。zhǐ chí xù shí jiān jiào duǎn de yí duàn shí qī cháng yòng lái miáo shù tū rán fā shēng bìng hěn kuài jié shù de dòng zuò huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

一 (yī, "one") + 阵 (zhèn, "a short spell or burst") forms 一阵 (yīzhèn, "one short spell"), with 阵 functioning as a measure word for a brief stretch or burst.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word marks a short interval without stating its exact length, so a clock time or duration is added when timing matters.

Other meanings

  • spellnoun
  • gustnoun

Opposites

  • 长时间cháng shí jiānlong timenoun

Related words

  • 一阵子yí zhèn ziwhilenoun

Word lists with this word